Redeeming the Fallen
by Koyan the Wanderer
Summary: "We all have our demons, Mine just has a name." Can the fallen rise again? Can they be redeemed by the ones they love? And how does a sarcastic, Smart-ass, Intelligent Naruto fit in? NaruHina, T for safety. reference to lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**Edited. This was my first story. I wrote the first chapter last year. Bear with me. So review. If you don't you, You will be haunted by the ghost of a bum. But not just any bum, but the bum who lives on the corner and is always asking for money. Only now he wants you to review. Got it?**

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><p>Naruto Uzumaki awoke with a massive headache. The night before he had a long talk with Oji-san about his 'heritage' and Tenant. It Made him depressed that his own Father had sealed the Nine tails within him. But he was proud that his own father had been the greatest and most famous Kage there was. He was confused as to why he was left alone. He knew that his father had died so that he could live but he obviously had a mother some where and that was just a guess. For all he knew she died too.<p>

Naruto shifted in his bed as the morning glow hit his face. He knew yesterday was the last day he would attend the Academy as just a student. Today he would be a ninja. Doing missions and helping the village. He couldn't wait. Naruto turned to his alarm clock. 6:29 turned to 6:30 with a loud siren. he-he _homemade alarms._

"Shut that thing off demon brat! Some of us are trying to sleep."

Naruto quickly turned off the alarm clock and put his Ninja attire on. Naruto was smart enough to get rid of his orange jumpsuit when Ero-Sennin had introduced him to the wonders of stealth. Now he wore a dark red Muscle shirt with a dark grey jacket adorned with dark red spirals that turned to fox tails as they exited the spiral. His pants were the same red color. His headband was around his neck and goggles on his forehead. Looking at his headband in the mirror, he smiled as he remembered being accepted by Iruka the previous night. He sighed and walked out his door.

Ero-Sennin was ordered not to teach Naruto anything that was especially powerful. So he just helped Naruto to learn the academy jutsu. But when Naruto's talentless Genjutsu skills came to surface Jiraiya quickly thought of a way to help Naruto. Jiraiya of the sannin with his vast knowledge of skills and Jutsu… went to Sarutobi for help. Jiraiya had come back with a rather disappointing scroll, but in it, Naruto saw his one chance at graduating his class. Shadow clones. Ero-Sennin went on to explain that Naruto lacked the Chakra control to do Genjutsu and that Kage Bunshins, unlike Normal Bunshins where a ninjutsu for infiltration. The chakra cost was high, but with Naruto's stamina and Kage level reserves, he could use this jutsu to it's fullest.

Naruto came back from his own little world as he looked up to see the academy in all it's glory. Or all it could muster rather. The building itself was just a multi storied box that of course had a slanted roof. If you picture a school, this is how you would think it would look. He had bad memories in this place. He kept his grades good enough to pass normally but had still failed his test the day before.

Even though he trained with Jiriya, (that was a secret) he knew that by the end of the week everyone would know about his heritage and that he would be taking his fathers name and property. But until the Hokage released the information, he could not speak of it. He had asked why and was told that as the information was SS-Classed information he could not reveal it himself. (The loophole of him being involved does not apply as it is Double S Class Secret)

Naruto slowly walked to his class room as he thought about his life. It was not a good one, but he couldn't say it was bad. He had people who love him, Teuchi, Ayame, Oji-san, Ero-Sennin, and Iruka-sensei. Heck even a few classmates have smiled his way. As Naruto sat into his chair by Sasuke, oblivious to the two Kounoichi's arguing beside him. As a hand reached toward his head from behind him he lurched to the side without seeing who was attacking him.

"Sakura if you want this seat just ask." He said as he got up.

Sakura of course being her bratty self was slightly put off by his unusual behavior. But as being said, she was bratty, so she could not express the emotion of concern.

"Naruto, you Baka! That is my seat beside Sasuke, and you can't have it. He probably is catching your stupidity every second you are near him!" She spat in his face.

Naruto looked in the face of the bitchy incarnate. "I didn't know he loved you so much! How 'bout we ask him if he would like you to join him?" They looked at Sasuke. Naruto with a look of disgust and Sakura with a look of hope.

"Leave me lone Sakura. You may be the smartest Kuinichi, but you are the worst person here. You aren't fit to be a ninja. Did you think I even like you? You're always screaming like a banshee and crowding my personal space. You are annoying."

Sakura's face never changed as she continued to smile at Sasuke. "I love you too Sasuke-kun!" Everyone excluding Ino, sweat dropped at her. Ino was thinking along the same lines as Sakura. As her jealousy induced rage hit it's apex, she tackled sakura out the window.

Naruto looked at the window in surprise "That was rather Anti-Climactic…" Sasuke was similarly stunned as he just nodded his head in agreement.

Naruto sat down next to Sasuke as Iruka walked into the room. Iruka stared at the empty seats were Sakura and Ino are normally fighting. Then he saw the window was open. Seats then window. Seats. Window. Seats…

"They fell out the window didn't they…" everyone nodded with sweat drops on the back of their heads.

"I will be right back…" he said as he left.

Everyone was back to talking amongst themselves. Many claims of greatness were uttered in the classroom, most coming from the males of the group. Out of the males was Kiba Inuzuka, heir to the Inuzuka clan and perhaps the most malodorous Ninja there was in Konoha.

"I swear on my blood that in a weeks time I will have so many babes hanging off my Rippling Muscles that everyone will agree to make me Chunin right away!" He proclaimed, loudly showing off his biceps. Many academy student has spoken this and none has kept there word. Akamaru simply ducked his head in embarrassment. He hated when his master acted like this.

A boy named Chojii laughed, "I doubt it!"

Everyone turned as Iruka walked in the room with two pitiful looking girls. Ino looked like she was going to pass out while Sakura was sobbing. It appeared that Ino had taken the brunt of the damage while Sakura had just landed on top of her.

There was a thud as Ino fell to the floor unconscious with Sakura giving a victorious smile down towards her.

Everyone stared at the two, amazed they where even still alive.

Iruka cleared his throat as Sakura dragged Ino to two empty seats in the back. Unfortunately they were beside Kiba. Kiba grinned at the 2 girls perversely as Iruka began speaking.

"I will now present the teams you will be on until you become Chunin… (1-6 Nobody cares…)

"Team seven under Hatake Kakashi: Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata."

Naruto did not mind his team. Sasuke usually kept to himself and Hinata was… Odd… He didn't know much about her other than she seemed to contract a fever whenever she was around him…

"Team 8 under Sarutobi Asuma: Ino Yamanaka, Akimichi Choji, Nara Shikamaru"

"Team nine is still in use. Team ten under Kurenai Yuuhi: Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, Haruna Sakura."

Sakura Screamed at the top of her lungs as she stood up. "WHAT? WHY DID YOU NOT PUT ME WITH SASUKE! YOU PUT ME WITH DOG-BOY AND THE BUG FREAK!"

Said Dog-boy reached around the girls shoulders, in a bad attempt at flirtation. "Look like you're with me, babe." He said, grinning down at the girls dismal chest. "You might be an A-cup, but anything will work, right?"

Sakura fought off the boy and ran out of the room, with Kiba following close behind. Shino meerly shrugged and followed quietly.

Iruka calmly stared her down as he gathered his papers, "The Hokage put these teams together. If anyone else has a problem, bring it up with him." he said, eying Ino closely.

Iruka looked over his class one last time. "I have a meeting to attend. Please wait for your new Sensei's to arrive." Iruka walked out of the room.

As time when by, various ninja showed up to take their new students. Seemingly almost sudden, Team 7 was the last team left.

Naruto, who up til now had been thinking, looked around the room.

"I'm bored…"

Sasuke turned his head to Naruto.

"Hn"

Naruto sighed, then turned to Hinata.

"So, what do you think of this team?"

Hinata's blood went straight to her face as Naruto gave her attention. Stuttering nonsense for a moment, she regained her composure… Sorta.

"W-well… I-I th-think this t-team would b-be... g-good…" Mentally Hinata was hitting herself in the head for sounding so stupid.

Naruto smiled and agreed. Hinata's worries melted at his smile. He turned back into his seat and began to wait. And wait. And wait. Finally, after an indescribable amount of time, a man popped his head through the door way. He had grey, gravity defying hair and a face mask, his headband covered his right eye. His left eye was curved in a u shape, seemingly a smile.

"Team 7?" the three nodded. "Good, My first impression of you… I don't like you…"

All three sweatdropped at the Jounin…

"I will meet you on the roof in 5 minutes."

All three nodded.

**Finished**

**What do you think? Ideas, Comments, Flames all excepted… Just don't be stupid…**

**1/10/2012: WOW! This Wasn't as bad as it could have been... Small tweeks to what some background characters do. Grammar and such, also fixed a bit.**


	2. Chapter 2

**My next chapter. Tell me what you think! Enjoy!**

Kakashi looked at his three charges as they sat in front of him. Sasuke stared ahead at Kakashi, Plainly bored. Hinata Hyuuga sat in between Naruto and Sasuke. Judging from her looking at Naruto from the corner of her eyes and blushing incredibly hard, he knew at once she was enamored with Naruto. He didn't know what to think about this. It was good for a Naruto to have someone that likes, possibly loves them, but Hinata shouldn't rely on him to much… Kakashi moved his train of thought to the blond haired enigma. He was in the middle of his class. An average student. But how much was a facade? How much did the boy cover up? Kakashi folded his 'Icha Icha Paradise' novel and faced his three students.

"Alright you three, I would like you to tell me more about you. The stuff you like, What you hate, your dreams, and hobbies."

Naruto raised his hand slowly in confusion. "Can you give us an example?"

Kakashi put his hand to his chin and put on a thoughtful expression. "Me? I'm Hatake Kakashi. I am the kind of person who doesn't tell people his likes and dislikes. My dreams are to 'X' rated for your young ears. I have plenty of hobbies."

All three listeners sweat dropped at their teacher. Hinata stared at the man like he was crazy. Naruto was quite confused and used this time to think about what the hell the man was trying to tell them. It was obvious he didn't expect them to be with him long. But why? Sasuke was trying to cover up for his slip up of keeping a straight face, by not using his patented 'Uchiha Death Glare' at the man… He was failing miserably.

Kakashi leaned backwards onto the railing behind him lazily. "Alright, You Blondie."

Naruto adjusted his headband and smiled. Determination radiated off of him. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like Ramen, my new team, the people at Ichiraku Ramen, and training. I don't like people who hate what they don't understand and the three minutes it takes to make ramen. My dream… Is to become Hokage and surpass my father."

Kakashi studied Naruto '_He certainly has grown up Differently… But what was that about his father… I thought he was an orphan?'_

Kakashi switched his thoughts to the bluenette "Your up."

Hinata inhaled quickly before letting out a breath. "I'm H-Hyuuga Hinata. I like my f-family and …" She looked in Naruto's direction, a blush evident on her face. "I d-dislike those who think they are better th-than others. M-My dream is to lead m-my clan and to t-tell someone…" She looked to Naruto again as she turned bright red.

Sasuke took the initiative to speak. "I am Uchiha Sasuke. I have few likes and many dislikes. I don't have a dream, rather an ambition." Sasuke's eyes darkened. "To kill a certain man…"

Naruto laughed hysterically. "You sound like Kakashi-sensei! Can't you be… You know, ORIGINAL?"

Kakashi then glared at the Uchiha. He had spent all night in front of the mirror, rehearsing his speech. He sighed and looked to the whole group.

"Alright, kiddies." Naruto glared at that. "Tomorrow we start our first mission."

Naruto grinned and then exclaimed, "What kind of mission? Are we rescuing a princess? Beating up badguys? Maybe a bodyguard for a daimyo?".

Kakashi looked him in the eye, eliciting a 'squeak' out of Naruto. "No, tomorrow's mission will only involve the member's of this unit. It will be survival training."

Naruto grew indignant. "WHAAAAAAT? How is that a mission? We did that in the academy!"

Kakashi chuckled darkly. "Well than I guess I shouldn't tell you that this Exercise has a 66% failure rate. If you fail you get sent back to the academy." Kakashi turned to walk away. "Show up at training ground 7 at 6 am. Don't eat breakfast or you'll regret it."

All three gaped at the Jounin. Something hit Naruto like a fangirl on Sasuke. _This was why he didn't reveal anything about himself. He doesn't expect ANY of us to pass! Not just one of us!_

Naruto became serious. "You don't expect us to pass your test do you?"

Kakashi missed a step before regaining his composure. He turned his head to look at Naruto.

"So, you figured that out, huh? Well that piece of information won't do you much good."

Kakashi shunshinned away leaving the three Genin to their own devices.

Sasuke smirked. It seemed there was more to the blond Genin than meets the eye. Hinata was looking at Naruto with admiration. She knew he was smarter than he made himself out to be. She stal-FOLLOWED him enough to know that.

Naruto grinned, falling back into his other persona. "Well, I got to go! It's dinner time you know?"

Sasuke nodded his head in his teammates direction. Hinata blushed and poked her fingers together.

"A-Ano… Naruto-kun?" Naruto paused and turned toward Hinata. "W-would you like to go get food with me?" Hinata was about to pass out. It was only adrenaline keeping her running.

Naruto smiled cheekily. "Sure! Let's go!" he grabbed her hand and ran toward the edge of the building.

"W-WAIT! NOOOOOO-" She was cut off as they both fell off the edge.

Sasuke sighed. Naruto could be so mature one moment, then be a complete moron the next. He looked to the sky. At least things wouldn't be boring…


	3. Chapter 3

A battered Naruto sat at Ichiraku Ramen. Beside him sat a furiously blushing Hinata. Both where covered in dirt. Naruto sat in front of a pile of bowls. Hinata had in front of her only one. Teuchi, the ramen chef, sat at the bar opposite the couple.

"So, Naruto, Who's your girlfriend?" He wagged his eyebrows suggestively.

Naruto gasped and waved his arms in front of him defensively. "We aren't like that! We are on the same team is all!"

Hinata was crestfallen. She stared at her shoes in shame. She wasn't good enough for him.

Naruto continued to babble incoherently, "-Not like I wouldn't want it, it's just-"

This phrase was the last thing she heard before her world turned black.

"-Just-that-I-don't-think-she-would-like-me-like-that-you-know? I-mean-ya-she-is kinda-cute-I-guess-but-" Teuchi Interrupted the fast talking boy.

"Umm... Naruto? She fainted..." Teuchi pointed to the still form of the girl.

Seeing Hinata had fallen, Naruto jumped from his stool to help her.

"Are you ok? Hinata? Hello?" He put his hand to her forehead. "Oh my gosh! She is burning up! WHAT-DO-I-DO? WHAT-DO-I-DO?"

Teuchi smirked deceptively, "Why don't you try Mouth to Mouth?"

Naruto gaped at the man. Teuchi rubbed his chin. "I would hurry if I where you... She doesn't look to good."

The boy steeled himself up and looked at the girl on the ground. He leaned forward to put his mouth to hers. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Hinata decided to wake up at this moment. Seeing Naruto so close she tried to hide her face in her jacket and headbutted a surprised Naruto in the nose.

"N-Naruto-kun! W-What are y-you doing?"

Naruto held his bleeding nose while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Well you collapsed and I didn't know what to do... I thought maybe mouth to mouth..."

Hinata blushed and poked her index fingers together.

Seeing all this, Teuchi decided to tease the boy. "Are you sure you two aren't together? You two seem pretty clo-OW!" Ayame, the chef's daughter and employee, hit him with her rolling pin. Teuchi grabbed his head and scrambled away to the kitchen.

Ayame smiled at Naruto and the still dazed Hinata, before turning to the doorway. Teuchi ran off to the kitchen. "Why did you tell him to do that?"

A muffled "because it's fun!" was his reply. She threw a pan into the room. "OW!" Her aim was true.

Naruto looked on, still embarrassed. '_I wonder if she has had ninja training?'_

She turned back to the blushing teens. "I'm sorry Hyuuga-sama. He does this a lot." she bowed formally. "I'm Ayame."

Hinata curtsied. "I-It is a p-pleasure to meet you A-Ayame-san. I'm H-Hyuuga Hinata."

Ayame turned toward Naruto, "She is CUTE! Don't screw this up." she winked at Naruto before retreating to the back of the store. Hinata blushed again.

Naruto blushed. He looked around the road they were at. People were closing up shops.

"Hey, Hinata?"

She looked up. Blush obvious on her face. "Y-Yes?"

"I think It's time to go. It's getting pretty late. Do you want me to walk you home?"

She blushed and agreed with a nod of her head.

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><p>They found themselves stopped outside the Hyuuga Complex. "Well we are here."<p>

Hinata blushed and nodded her head. "Th-thank you-"

"Hinata. You are late?" Hinata's father stood at the gates of his complex. His eye's where white, not unlike Hinata. His face was like stone.

"Your curfew is..." Hiashi studied the boy she walked home with. His eyebrows raised as when he spied the dried blood on Naruto's nose and lip. He looked at his daughter. She was blushing. He also noted both teens where covered in dirt.

Rage clouded his face. "GET OVER HERE BOY! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY DAUGHTER!" Naruto bolted from where he previously stood.

"BYE-HINATA-SEE-YOU-TOMMOROW!"

"GET BACK HERE!"

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><p>The next morning the three genin met at their training ground at precisely the designated time. They stood facing each other in a circle. After a minute of facing each other they collapsed in a heap.<p>

"Why do we have to get up this early?" Naruto rubbed his eyes.

Sasuke answered, "Because we were told to."

"Well if yesterday was any clue, we are going to be here a loooooong time…"

Hinata inclined her head. "W-Why do you say that, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto reclined onto his back. "He was late yesterday, And wasn't at all embarrassed or rushed. Also, didn't you notice the look we got from Iruka-sensei when he called our team?"

Sasuke had seen the look. "But that doesn't mean anything. It could be something else…"

6 HOURS LATER…

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata where leaning on each other's backs. All three slept peacefully. Kakashi chuckled to himself. This was going to be fun. Disappearing for a second, He came back with a large bucket of water.

SPLASH

"WAAAAAAAAH! WHAT THE HELL KAKASHI!"

The three genin stood soaked to the bone in water. Naruto stood in front of his teacher where he was poking him with each word he said.

"WHY. DID. YOU. SPLASH. US?"

Kakashi took up a thoughtful pose. "It seemed like good idea at the time…"

He clapped his hands, "Right, lets get started… With HELL!"

All three genin shuddered. This was going to get scary.

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><p><strong>I apologise for any confusion. I recently whent back and re-did these chapters so they contained more humor and romance. They also flow better. Thank you and remember to Review. Or ELSE!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Go To the previous chapters if you want some better Naru/Hina fluff. I redid a few things. It should be smoother. on a side note, first day of GED class was soooooo stupid. What they say about GED and a Highschool Diploma can't be right... But unfortunatly it is equivalent... God help us all, the peson in front of me was 33 and had 3 grade reading skills. She was sounding out words that I could here what she was reading... GEEZ! What is this world coming to? well anyways, enjoy!**

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><p>A soaking wet Naruto, Hinata, and surprisingly Sasuke stood in front of Kakashi pointing accusingly. All three of the irate teens yelled.<p>

"Your Late!" Naruto turned to his teammates slightly confused. "Wait... Why did _you_ yell at him?"

Hinata blushed like tomato. "I-I got caught up in the m-moment..."

He turned to his other teammate. Sasuke looked calm as ever, albiet slightly red in the face from yelling. He sighed and pointed up. "The author decided to periodically make me OOC..."

Naruto nodded and looked ahead, then after a second of pondering turned back, "What? Sasuke! You just broke the 4th wall!"

Sasuke was confused. "Wait... What?"

Naruto shook his head slowly. "I... I don't know..."

Sasuke whispered "I'm scared..."

Naruto was shivering. "Me too, Sasuke-teme, me too..."

Kakashi and Hinata sweatdropped.

"Oooooook... Well anyways, there was this black cat that crossed my path, so I had to take a detour and ended up lost on the road of life."

Naruto smirked causing Sasuke to gape at his lack of concern for copywrite infringement. _'That is my trademark, dobe...' _

"I understand. The road of life is very scenic. I find myself getting lost there too."

"Really?"

"No..."

"Oh..." Kakashi decided to throw that out the window for now. "Well I've set up this alarm to go off at noon." He gestures to an alarm sitting on a stump.

'_How long has that been there' _all three had the same thought.

Kakashi continued. "I have two bells here," he holds them up. "Your objective is to steal these bells from me before the timer sounds. Anyone who fails... Doesn't get lunch." He looked at the genin expectantly. After a moment he sighed. Mumbling to himself he palmed his face. "I forgot to tell you not to eat breakfast..."

"...Forget that... Lets get started on my signal... Start." In a large dust cloud, all three genin where gone... Except Naruto...

"Sigh... I thought you were smarter than that, Naruto."

Naruto grinned. "You're going down Kakashi!" He charged Kakashi at full speed, kunai knife in hand.

Kakashi shook his head, "It isn't me who is 'going down'..." He leaned out of the way Naruto's slash catching his hand and putting the knife, still in Naruto's hand, against the back of the boy's head.

He whispered in Naruto's ear. "It's you..." Naruto shivered. Kakashi pushed Naruto, who fell to his knees in front of him. Naruto stood back up and charged again. This time he created a clone who was kneeling in front of him. He jumped off the clone and did a scissor kick to Kakashi's head.

Kakashi grabbed Naruto's foot in midair and spun him to the ground. Naruto bounced twice before standing once again. "Hehe. That was fun. Let's see you get passed this. KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU! (Do I really need to explain this? Sigh... Shadow Clone Technique)

5 Naruto's appeared all in different battle gear... And one clown suit...

The Naruto in the clown suit waved before pulling out a kodachi. Kakashi palmed his face. _'The imagination of this kid is only surpassed by his ability to egg people on...' _all 6 Naruto's charged at the tall Jounin.

"FOR VALHALLA!" they all yelled in unison. Kakashi sweatdropped again. What the hell was Valhalla?

The Naruto in the clown suit stopped. "Wait what is Valhalla?"

A Naruto with a business suit and brass knuckles rubbed his chin. "I don't know either... sounds really stupid."

The real Naruto yelled "HEY! I came up with that name. It's some place where people, with these helmets that have horns on them, go to when they die! These odd angel things collect their souls when they die. I call them 'Valkyries.'"

The business suit Naruto looked at the clown suit. "yeah... It's stupid."

Naruto dispelled his clones yelling "WHAT GOOD ARE YOU IF YOU CAN'T SUPPORT YOUR CREATOR WITH HIS IDEAS!" suddenly Naruto felt a chill. He slowly turned his head.

"Oh, a word of advice... Don't let your enemy get behind you. SENNEN GOROSHI! (A THOUSAND YEARS OF DEATH!) Kakashi sat behind him with his fingers in the shape of the tiger sign.

Hinata watched from not far away, hiding behind a bush. '_NARUTO-KUN! Th-that's the Tiger sign... He's going to use a fire attack at that range?' _

Kakashi rammed his fingers into Naruto's backside, and with a burst chakra, shot him into the pond across the training ground.

Sasuke sighed '_when I said things wouldn't be normal, I did NOT have this in mind...' _he jumped out of the tree he was hiding in. '_well I guess it's time.'_ Sasuke watched many Naruto's running atop the water. One of them looked his way, tripped, then very obviously pretended to drown. Sasuke sweatdropped. _'I assume that was the signal' _

Naruto grinned standing with his arms crossed on the water. It was a good thing Jiraiya was his tutor or he wouldn't be here right now. Remembering HOW he got here, he cringed."Kami, did you have to stick your fingers in my rear?"

"yes... It was necassary...I must say, I didn't expect you to know how to do that... Who taught you? "

Naruto took up a thoughtful pose. "After I get that bell I might be inclined to help you."

Kakashi eye smiled. It seemed this team did have hopeas he was worried when Naruto didn't conceal himself. He set up into a lose fighting stance. Now was the last insult. He reached into his kunai holster.

Naruto looked on in worry, had he made his teacher take him seriously... or was it something else?

Hinata gasped! How could Kakashi already need a weapon?

Sasuke watched calculatingly. Was Kakashi this weak that he couldn't defend against Naruto...?

Kakashi, Achingly slow, pulled his hand out of his holster to present... A book. But not just any book. One he knew very well.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT? WHY ARE YOU READING?" Naruto was pulling at his hair. "Why do I always get the perverts? WHY? STUPID ERO-SENNIN!" in the surrounding forest, His teammates shared his sentiments...

Kakashi sighed in a condescending way. "I'm reading because I what happens next. Now be quiet."

Naruto fumed. Why does he insult him? Was it to get a reaction? _'I won't give him the pleasure'_ Naruto grit his teeth.

"Fine Kakashi. Read your smut. I think you should know that Tsunami ends up with Koesuke in the end..."

Kakashi gaped at the blond. He looked at his book. Naruto. Book. Naruto. Book. He flipped it to the end of the book. It was true. Kakashi cried anime tears.

"Why, Naruto? Why ruin a perfectly good book? How did you even know?"

Naruto grinned. "Because my other teacher wrote that book!"

Kakashi's eyes widened. That was how Naruto was above average.

"I see. So maybe I should put this away." He put it back in it's place. _'maybe someday my scorned lover... maybe someday' _

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Pssssst, Hinata!" Said girl squeaked and turned around at breakneck speed.

Naruto covered her mouth. "Hey it's me! Shhhhhhh."

Seeing recognition in her eyes he dropped her hand. She blushed and poked her fingers together.

"A-Ano. Naruto-kun, is it t-time?"

Naruto nodded his head. Hinata got up and followed him deeper into the forest.

**FLASHBACK**

Hinata, Sasuke and Naruto all stood in a circle on the roof of their school. Kakashi had just left them to do... whatever the hell he does at this time. _'maybe he is sitting in the middle of a forest staring at a stone... yeah right...' _Naruto grinned at his teammates.

"OK. Let's present what we know. We know Kakashi is going to be late, ne?"

Hinata spoke up. "W-well we kn-know he doesn't expect u-us to p-pass what he plans for us."

Naruto smiled at her, causing her to turn red as a tomato. "Right! Sasuke?"

Sasuke went next, "Kakashi said it was survival training, right?" the other two nodded. "Well he didn't say what kind, did he?" they shook their heads, a bit lost.

"Get on with it, Sasuke!"

"I am. I am... Remember in the academy when they put us against each other in teams of three? They told us that we would always be in teams of three with one commander." they nodded again, seeming to get it.

"S-sasuke-san... W-why did he say th-there was a 66 p-percent chance of f-failure?"

Naruto finally caught on. "OH! So your saying he gave us this information to mislead us right?"

The Uchiha nodded. "Wow Naruto. I your not as stupid as everyone thought..." "I resent that!"

"Resemble is more like... so here is what we do. He expects us to compete to pass? Lets team up. He won't expect it."

Naruto agreed, still angry from the stupid comment.

Hinata just blushed and nodded his.

Naruto smiled. "Well here is a plan..."

**END FLASHBACK**

Naruto grinned it was time to enact a masterpiece!

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><p><strong>Well I hope you liked it! Remember to review and vote on my poll (it's on my profile if you can't figure it out...). If you don't I will imprison you on the moon. uhuh. Yeah, I said that. I will do it to! I have the Old Sage on speed dial. He owes me a favor for getting him that case of pocky. Also, I am currently looking for a beta reader. If anyone is interested go ahead and pm me. Thanks,<strong>

_**Kuromaru-kun**_


	5. Chapter 5

Umm... Hi... I have a valid excuse I promise. My cousins house got hit by a tornado and I'm studying for my GED. So yah, thank you faithful followers, (all 16 or so of you...) and plain followers for reading. Please review this. It would make things easier for me if you wold tell me what you lie and want more of. I have quite a few punchlines planned out ahead of the story and want to get there. Thanks.

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><p>The sun shone brightly on a midday as Naruto and Hinata crouched low behind a by bush. They watched as Sasuke attacked Kakashi in a vain attempt to get the bells. Or that was what they hoped Kakashi was thinking. A ball of fire blew brightly across the training ground.<p>

"Well Sasuke, you surpass what my previous thoughts about you. You aren't just a weak little shinobi" Sasuke looked smug. "You are a weak little shinobi with a fetish for fire." Sasuke looked murderous. Nobody called him out on his problems. Sasuke jumped to kick Kakashi in the face. The Jounin reached out lazily with hi right hand and grabbed Sasuke's leg. The teenager turned to backhand Kakashi in the... well the all male soft-spot.

"Careful there, Sasuke. I might want to use that one day."

Sasuke dropped quickly to the ground. He looked up at the man incredulously. "You're a virgin?"

Kakashi gaped. "OF COURSE NOT! Just the other day I-"

"DON'T WANT TO KNOW!"

Naruto gave Hinata a nod of his head who returned it. Naruto rushed out of his cover holding a handsign. **"OROIKE NO JUTSU!"** Kakashi turned towards the voice. He got an EYEFULL.

In a puff of smoke stood a stark naked teenage girl. Clouds of smoke hovered over the figures "Feminine parts". Kakashi's mask darkened almost unnoticeably. His one eye was wide with appreciation as he drank in the features of the blond haired beauty. As the clouds slowly dispersed his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Darkness encompassed his vision as he collapsed in a fountain of blood coming from who knows where.

Kakashi awoke in an uncomfortable position. He just had the most wonderful dream of a busty blonde who strangely reminded him of- "NARUTO!"

The man's eyes shot open to see all three genin sitting in front of him while eating the three bento boxes provided by Kakashi himself. He looked over at Naruto who ate a slightly different one.

"He~ey! That is MINE!" Kakashi attempted to grab the blonde. He found his arms where restrained against a log. With a trained professionalism, he leaned back towards the slack of the rope and pushed with his legs. His ropes tightened as he came face to face with a kunai knife aimed towards his eye. The one eyed Jounin found himself in a place he did not want to be. The rope had been tied so that if you tried to slip it off at the top, It would redouble at the other side leaving any nin caught in it in a very compromised position. With a dignified grace, Kakashi spoke up.

"Uuuuuhhh... Naruto? Can you help me out here? Eheheheheheheh..." Kakashi laughed nervously.

Naruto walked to the other side and removed the kunai. He turned and cut the rope as he walked by. The man landed on his face with a loud "OOOOOPH"

Regaining his composure, he dusted himself of and face his three genin.

"I take it you have the bells?" Sasuke and Hinata held them up. "OK Naruto... looks like your going back to the academy."

Naruto shook his head and held out an arm. In his arm was a book that Kakashi knew well...

"THAT'S MY ICHA ICHA! Kakashi leaped at Naruto with fury.

With a dept hand, Naruto put a kunai knife to the book. The one-eyed Jounin stopped in his tracks and laughed nervously.

"You don' have to be rash..."

Naruto grinned his trademark grin "If you didn't bring this with you you wouldn't be in this situation, now would you?"

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Just give it here Naruto... Think this out." he reached forward to grab it.

"Nope" Naruto moved it out of his reach with kunai still attached. "It was obvious this was meant to be a team effort. You've been dropping hints since we met." The other genin nodded.

Kakashi was astounded. These three where exactly what he was looking for. "Well it seems you pass... Can I have my book back now?"

Naruto grinned. "Nope!" It burst into flames.

Kakashi fell to his knees in agony. "!"

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><p>Timeskip...<p>

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><p>"So uh... yo..." Kakashi limped into the Hokage's office slowly. As he arrived at the Hokage's desk with a very surprised Hokage.<p>

"Ah Kakashi-kun... You're early... Or everyone else is late..." The Hokage glanced at the clock. "No... you're definitely early. ANBU!" 5 ninja arrived in a shunshin. "Please take 'mr. Kakashi' to our friend Ibiki for his 'Appointment'.

"What NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-!" Kakashi slumped forward after being hit in the head with the blunt end of a kunai knife.

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><p>Naruto sat on the edge of his bed in deep thought. In three days the village- No, the world would know who he was. He looked down at his open hands. '<em>If only I was ready for this burden...'<em> he shuffled his mattress and looked under the bed. He ceremoniously pulled out a wooden box with his name engraved on it and set it beside him on his bed. Naruto bit his thumb and let a drop fall on the lid causing a seal to appear, glow red, then disappear. Crossing his legs into a more comfortable position, he opened the box. An image of the fourth

'_Dear Naruto,_

_My son, the thought that you would someday be alive out there in the world drove me to do what I did. I know you may hate me, but it was for you that your mother and I sacrificed ourselves to save the village. I hope that someday you will forgive me. It was the only possibility that I could think of at the time. I may have been able to come up with a better solution if your mother and I weren't..' _at this Naruto skipped ahead in a hurry blushing madly. _'Anyways, here is some advice for the future. Treat women with respect, Hold doors and be a gentlemen, but when it comes to war, NEVER underestimate a woman. They are evil creatures of Yami herself- ITA! Damnit Kushina! I'm giving advice to our son!' _A woman with fiery red hair and a fox like grin appeared where the fourth was. _'WELL YOU WERE CONTRADICTING YOURSELF! I'm taking over now!' _Naruto saw that his mother was tired. Her grin was haggered, but still there. _I'm sorry Naruto. We could have been there for you for so many things. I know that you were probably hated by the people. Unlike your father, I do not have as much faith in these people. If it had been known that I was the jinchuriki before you, I know they would have hated me too. Well we can't make up for not being their, but we do what we can. Inside this box holds my sword and guide to the Uzumaki seals. Your father has left you his two original jutsu. No matter who or what you are now, we are proud to be your parents. We love you and always will.' _The image had cut off, leaving Naruto to his tears.

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><p>Restating before. Please review. The orphans will eventually forgive you if you don't, but it will cause a few fits of tears and suicide pacts. Thank you for reading,<p>

Kuromaru-kun


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry about not updating. I got a job a while ago and it REALLY sucks. I work from 5-12 which is when I do most of my writing and I start college this semester... anyways... Thank you Echo-chan, and Rose Tiger for your constant encouragement. And yes, StrawberriesAndCinnamon, Depressing... But the orphans love you for it! Now on with the long-awaited chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the Tora Anbu gag. Naruto belongs to Kishi-teme and the "Anbu" Gag belongs to Traban16 who was nice enough to let me use it!**

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><p>Chapter 6 (I think)<p>

Naruto sat up and wiped away his tears. Looking down at the items given to him by his deceased parents he began to grin manically. The swords were of his mother were beautifully crafted. The hilts were a braided red silk that came down to one single string that connected to each other. Their blades where a deathly black hue and the edge faded until it was blood red. It was obvious these weapons cost a pretty penny.

The scrolls were what really captured Naruto's attention. The first one was a move called "Rasengan." (or spiraling sphere... If you don't know that, then I am ashamed you are reading this.) It was a compressed ball of pure chakra that could put a hole in just about anything. The other was Hiraishin (sp) (Wrath of the Thunder God... still widely known.) Hiraishin was a jutsu that teleported the user instantly in a prechosen color of light. That surprised Naruto the most. What dissapointed him was the complexity of it. You had to know Advanced sealing to even begin to understand what was in the scroll.

Naruto rolled up the Hiraishin scroll and put it in the box with his mother's gifts. He would learn that when he could understand it... Or if he could get ero-sennin to show him. He quickly pocketed the remaining scroll and ran towards his teams designated training ground.

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><p>Team 7 stood before the Hokage in a large room where low ranked missions are given. The Hokage sat in the center of a semi-circle of desks with the open part facing the door.<p>

"Ok, Team 7, for your first mission you will be tracking down a lost pet. The details are in this scroll."

Iruka tossed the scroll towards Kakashi.

Kakashi took it and turned to walk away. Naruto sat watching the exchange with mouth agape.

"THIS IS FREAKING ANTI-CLIMACTIC!"

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><p>Hinata walked with byakugan ablaze. She could see her teammates in the distance. Naruto was coming the forest with clones... And an oversized comb... Hinata giggled at her friend. She focused in on Sasuke who was walking through the forest in an odd manner. It seemed Sasuke was humming the tune to "Shinobi Impossible" which was a movie that was completely original and was not a copy of any other movie.<p>

Sasuke was creeping through the trees and every few minutes would hide behind one. Hinata shook her head at the preteens actions. He hid behind a mask of indifference, but he was a kid at heart... Or at least he was when no one looked... Back to Naruto, It appeared he had indeed found the cat, but was running from it rather dramatically. Hinata sighed before jumping out of the tree she stood in.

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><p>"!" Naruto zoomed past a giggling Kakashi as he looked up from his book.<p>

"You're supposed to catch it. Not run away!" He looked back at his book. "Oh Kichi!You are the man! 3 girls at once? How do you do it?"

"Damn it Kakashi-sensei! Help me out here!" Naruto was running in circles with the cat right on his heels. "This cat has freaking chunin level speed! I'm sure of it!"

"You are exaggerating Naruto..." he replied, not looking up.

Both Sasuke and Hinata arrived at the same time. Sasuke looked over at a blushing Hinata.

"I guess we should help, huh?"

She nodded her agreement as they both jumped in to help the poor boy.

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><p>After returning the cat, all the genin stood before their leader. Kakashi had left to take care of some business that he had left unattended. Or that was his excuse at least. It was getting late because the team had to wait outside the Hokage's room to report their mission.<p>

"Good job team 7! You found the cat in record time!" The Hokage looked proudly at the child he considered his grandson. "Please speak to my secretary for your reward." all the genin turned to leave. "Except you Naruto. We have something to talk about." Naruto nodded and turned back to face his leader and figurative grandfather.

As the door closed, red glowing seals appeared around the room before disappearing. The Hokage faced Naruto and looked a bit grim.

"Tonight is the night we announce your heritage, Naruto. Are you ready to go now?"

Naruto shook his head. "It'd be best if we did it now, right?" The Hokage smiled encouragingly before nodding.

"Yes Naruto, The quicker the better." he turned to face the wall. "Anbu Tora! A cloaked figure shun-shinned into the room.

"Yes Tora-chan, Please escort Naruto here to the council room. I will be there momentarily." The ANBU nodded her head before lowering her hood. She motioned for Naruto to follow her out to the hall.

Naruto stared at her mask while they walked. "Why is your mask a Cat? A Tora is a tiger..."

The ANBU blushed behind her mask in embarrassment. "Oh umm... I'm named after that stupid cat..."

Naruto coughed loudly in a vain attempt not to laugh. "You're named after the Daimyo's cat? But all the other Anbu have fierce masks!"

The Anbu stopped and looked at her young charge. "You obviously haven't seen the mortality rate for catching her..."

The blond stopped in his tracks. "Really? I was that close to death?"

The masked woman nodded and continued walking on.

"Wow... you learn something new everyday!"

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><p>Naruto and his Anbu escort arrived at the council room chamber with 5 minutes to spare. Naruto touched the door before pulling his hand away. He wasn't sure he could do it. All those angry stares and murderous intent surrounding him...<p>

"Go on Naruto-kun, let's face it together." Naruto turned towards the voice. The Hokage stood, pipe in hand. "Let's go."

"Thanks, Jiji."

They both walked into the room as Naruto followed his Grandfather chair. Naruto stood right beside the leader of his village and faced the crowed of Irate civilians and shinobi.

"Why did you call a meeting concerning the De-the boy, I mean." one civilian councilor changed his words midsentence, due to a glare courtesy of an angry Hokage.

"I suggest you watch your words, civilian. I am your dictator." The civilians gulped while the Ninja grinned. They hated the civilians entitlement issues. "Now as I was about to say, I have something that needs to be said. This BOY who you mistreated, abused, and downright hated, is just that. A boy. He is not what he contains. He is a child who was chosen by our dear Yondiame Hokage. Now tell me, Why would the Hokage choose a random child to hold a demon? He wouldn't." all the attending people gaped at the insinuated meaning. The Hokage continued. "He wouldn't choose someone else's child to carry such a heavy burden. Naruto is the Child of Minato Namikaze and his wife Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze. He is the sole heir of both clans and will be treated like so." Hiruzen pulled out an orange scroll, covered in seals. "This scroll contains the birth certificate of Naruto. If you could Naruto, Please spill some blood on this seal here." He indicated which one. Naruto nodded his head before biting a finger. He held it out and let a drop fall. Both his finger and the seal sizzled before the seal disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"If Shikaku could come here and verify this, I would be greatly pleased." The man walked foreward and inspected the certificate. "It's real, This seal at the bottom is the Yondiame's signature."

The civilian's in the group gaped at the grinning boy. The shinobi were surprised, but should have seen it coming. They knew Minato Namikaze better than that.

Shikaku walked up to Naruto and looked down at him. Naruto Looked in the man in the eye's refuzing to back down. "You have your father's eyes. I let my misguided hate lead me to conclusions. Forgive me, Namikaze Naruto." Shikaku held out his hand. Naruto took it. Shikaku grinned before letting go and walking back to his chair in between his former teammates.

All the shinobi were amazed that a Nara had admitted being wrong. Being wrong to a Nara was very shameful.

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><p>The night ended with half the civilian council asking forgiveness and three fourths of the shinobi doing the same. But one man paced in a room hidden from all but his subordinates. He threw things around wildy as he spoke angrily to the air.<p>

"That FOOL! He thinks he is so smart! That boy is a MONSTER and is MANIPULATING him! The Kyuubi has stolen the soul of our Hokage's son!" He stopped for a moment and put his hand to his chin in a thinking pose. "You know... that might just work! It will take a lot of work, but it will be worth it! SAI-KUN!" A boy appeared from a puddle of ink. "Get me a longwave radio! I have an "ally" to speak to." the boy nodded once before disappearing the way he came.

"If the Hokage and the demon thought they could get away with this, they are sorely mistaken!" The man laughed loudly.

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><p><strong>so yeah... It's been awhile, but please review! And when I say review, I mean tell me what was wrong or what was funny! I need to improve, and you are my way of improving! The Orphans still want reviews! Also, I want to know where you want this to go. I have multiple Ideas but not sure. Do you want this to be:<strong>

**A. A Naruto Banishment Fic.**

**B. Inside Civil war story between Danzo and Naruto's group of rebels.**

**Or C. Follow Cannon as much as possible.**

**Please tell me!**


	7. Chapter 7

The next 2 weeks went by quickly. Sasuke and Hinata had reacted differently to the news. Sasuke had smirked and said something along the lines of' "Heh... You would need the advantage to fight me anyways." which, of course, is "Sasuke" for "I'm glad you get some recognition." Hinata, on the other hand, fainted in a puddle of blood, mumbling something about Marriage Contracts, son of a kage, and Elder Council. Naruto also spent this time attempting the rasengan. He had completed the first two steps, but could not complete it. He could also do the Hiraishin, but not without draining his chakra completely dry.

PRESENT TIME

"Neh, Kakashi-sensei? When are we going to get a break?" Naruto stood leaning against a wall holding a balloon full of air. Ripple like patterns flowed across it.

"Well, Naruto," Kakashi was leaning against the wall next to him. "As soon as I can get you a "C" ranked mission, I will allow you a week off of your duties."

Naruto's balloon burst, causing Kakashi's page to turn. "Really? Maybe I can get Hinata to go out to eat with me!" Naruto fisted the air excitedly.

"Hold on, Naruto. We still have to complete the mission we are doing.."

Naruto looked disappointed. "Oh yeah."

Both of them looked towards a field in front of them. Sasuke was covered in sweat and was pulling as many weeds as possible. Hinata had Naruto clones surrounding her, helping her to collect the the weeds also. Hinata grabbed a clone's hand. "No, B-bunshin-kun. That isn't a w-weed. Th-that is a carrot." she scolded.

The bunshin looked at his hand. "Oh yeah... It is, isn't it. I kinda got over-zealous." he said embarrassingly. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

The real Naruto was back under the porch, banging his head against the wall. "HOW DO I NOT KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CARROT AND A WEED!" He yelled in between hits.

Kakashi was still reading his book. "I think we just discovered that shadow clones are complete Idiots, and can't be relied on." he said.

Naruto stopped beating his bloody head into the wall. "You think?" he asked sarcastically.

"Damn it Naruto! Get your ass over here and help me!" Sasuke yelled. He was soaked to the bone in sweat and had a huge pile of leaves. He looked really pitiful.

Kakashi pushed Naruto into the garden. "Breaks over. Get the hell out there and do your share."

Naruto sighed before joining his male teammate.

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><p>"I don't think I want to see another weed again..." Sasuke said as all three genins walked towards the Hokage's office.<p>

"You've said that 3 times already, Sasuke." remarked Naruto.

Hinata giggled at their argument. Their camaraderie had definitely risen since Naruto's parentage was revealed. Sasuke knew the pain Naruto felt. They were more alike when it came to being alone.

"Sasuke-kun!" A pink haired blur bypassed both Hinata and Naruto, taking them from their thoughts.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun! What are you doing? My team just did a D ranked mission for the second time today." Sasuke merely grunted in response reverting to his Emo persona.

Sakura's eyes lit up with barely concealed lust. She jumped on his back when he turned to leave.

"Sasuke-kun! I wish you were on my team. Not Muttboy and Insectoid." She whispered in his ear.

Sasuke shrugged her off silently. She fell on her backside painfully.

"Ow! Naruto-Baka! It's your fault that he hates me! You told him lies about me! You are jealous that he has my heart." She screeched at the top of her lungs.

Naruto looked at her, annoyed she would suggest such a thing. He put his hand to his chin in a mocking manner. "Now, why would I do that? The way you're acting is more than enough to deter him." he said. "And besides, I never did like you. You were always an annoyance who can't read social cues properly."

Sakura was obviously not paying attention. "See Sasuke-kun? He was spreading rumors. Don't you love me anymore?" she begged desperately.

Sasuke looked at the girl with a confused expression. "What are you smoking? I never liked you, much less loved you..." He said, completely lost by this girls logic.

"I love you, too!" she said before latching on to his arm. Sasuke pulled out a kunai in defense. Before he could end the pathetic girls misery, Naruto coughed loudly.

"She's still a comrade..." he said, nodding to the kunai he was holding. Sasuke pouted, before relenting. Sakura squeeled when he didn't push her off.

"Narutoooooooo... I don't want to have this leech on me..." He pouted again.

Naruto sighed at the boys misfotune. Hinata giggled at the predicament.

"Can you just ignore her for a few moments?" Naruto asked, starting to feel amused.

"Yes, I guess I can... If she grabs my crotch one more time, I kill her."

Hinata full out laughed at Sasuke. He waved his free arm at her.

"Do you know how it feels to have a parasite like this?" he asked her, angrily.

"N-nope," she said, shaking her head. "I don't have fan boys... wait... I have Kiba-san... D-does that c-count?" she asked Sasuke.

He sighed, "Yes I guess it does."

They both looked at Naruto. "What about you? The release of your parentage must have done something to the female population."

Naruto shuddered and thought to the previous day.

FLASHBACK

"Naruto-Sama! I love you! Take me with you!" Naruto was jumping from roof to roof, narrowly dodging fan-girls. Every few steps, another girl would join the massive crowd.

_ Damn! _He thought _Where are these girls coming from? How are they keeping up? They're citizens!_

Naruto jumped over an outstretched hand, avoiding a fangirl by inches. _What the hell!_

FLASHBACK END

Naruto shuddered at the memory. Sasuke laughed out loud. "That bad huh?"

Naruto nodded, failing to speak out of fear. Hinata was rubbing his back comfortingly.

Naruto opened the door to the Hokage's office slowly, to avoid interrupting anything important. Thankfully, both the Hokage and Kakashi where in the room.

"Ah. There you are, team 7. How did you're mission go?" The elderly man asked.

All three genin sweatdropped at the question. Sasuke shuddered. Sakura, who was still on sasuke's arm, was rubbing her face on his arm, like a cat.

"Well...," the hokage started, noting all the faces. "I see it went well... You have the choice of one new mission today. Your choices are... Wait... Sakura-san... Why are you in here?"

Sakura continued to rub her face on his shirt. Oblivious to her leader talking.

"Sakura... SAKURA!" he shouted snapping her attention from her... activity. "Now that you are done molesting Sasuke-kun's arm, can you tell me why you are in another teams meeting?"

Sakura gave a Cheshire grin. "A Marriage Contract? Hokage -Sama! I accept!"

"What the HELL are you talking about?" All the other people in the room shouted.

Sakura, ignorant of anything around her continued on. "I would be happy to marry Sasuke-kun! Honeymoon here we come!"

The Hokage motioned for his Anbu guard. "Please take Sakura-san here for the _Random_ shinobi drug test, please." Anbu Tora nodded her head and shun-shinned away with the girl.

"Now were we?" the man said to the assembled team. Naruto raised his hand.

"Yes Naruto?" The hokage asked.

"You where about to give us an A ranked mission." He said sagely.

"Oh right... we have an assassination on the... Wait... NARUTO!" He yelled at the boy. The hokage turned red from being trick so easily. "Right, D ranked. We have a babysitting job, killing the rats in the basement of Higurashi's shop..." A loud Meow echoed in the room. "Aaaaand catching Tora."

Sasuke shook with anger. When he was about to raise his voice, Kakashi put his hand on his shoulder.

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, I request a C ranked mission for my team." Kakashi said, never moving his attention from his book.

"Are you sure, Kakashi?" Hiruzen asked. Kakashi nodded his head. "All right, team 7. I will give you an escort mission to the land of waves. " All three genin beamed brightly. No more D ranks.

"Hokage-sama! You can't be serious! They are children!"

"I am serious, Iruka-kun, They are no longer under your tutelage. I trust Kakashi-kun to make the decision."

Iruka nodded his head in defeat. The hokage waved his hand to the door, motioning for the man to come in. The man wobbled on his feet, as if he was on a boat. He had on a wide brimmed straw hat and a string tied across his forehead. His eyes were out of focus behind his glasses.

"Is this my escort?" he asked the Hokage, pointing to the team.

The Hokage nodded his head. "Bah! A bunch of children are going to protect me? They look like they couldn't hurt a fly. Especially the blind looking one and the blond haired brat."

Hinata looked down at her feet and poked her fingers together in shame. In a flash of yellow, Naruto appeared behind the man with a Kunai to his neck.

"Insult Hinata-chan one more time, and you will be missing a few pounds." He said dangerously.

"Naruto, Please don't kill the client. You wanted a C ranked mission, right?"

Naruto released the man, who ran out of the door in fear. He stopped by the door. "I will be by the gates tomorrow morning. Don't be late." he said before full on sprinting to his hotel.

Naruto waited until the door closed before falling to the ground, completely exhausted. "I said I wasn't going to use that one until Jiraiya-sensei got back..." he said as Hinata pulled his head into her lap.

The hokage looked at the two with great interest. "Are you two...?" he asked, trailing off at the end.

"No! We aren't like that!" they both shouted.

Both blushed and looked back at each other before stuttering apologies and inconsistencies .

"I-I D-didn't M-m-mean to..."

"Not-that-I-have-a-problem-with..."

After a moment, both collapsed on top of each other.

The Hokage looked at the other two teammembers. "Does this happen often?"

They nodded, amused at the situation.

The Hokage stiffled a laugh as Sasuke pulled out a Polaroid. Naruto and Hinata were in a very compromising position.

"Blackmail." he said simply, before walking out of the room.

"Sasuke!" Sakura yelled before glomping him. He narrowly dodged her before running for his life.

"Get Back Here Sakura! You Need To Take This Drug Test!" Tora yelled while dragging the girl by her foot.

"NOOOOOOOOoooooooo..." She yelled while clawing the floor.

Kakashi merely walked out of the room with a skip in his step. All his students where incapacitated or busy at the moment. As he got to the door, he heard a voice.

"Ohhhh, Kakashi-kun. Can you fill out the C rank mission paper work for me?" The hokage asked with a smirk.

Kakashi emulated Sasuke and ran away, screaming all the way home. The hokage sweatdropped at the team. There was never a dull moment. He looked down at the two genin on the floor. Blackmail wasn't a bad Idea.

"Excuse me Hokage-sama, I have the figures for this years Hyuuga clan profi- WHAT THE HELL! GET OFF MY DAUGHTER BOY!" Hyuuga Hiashi stood in the door way of the office seething in rightous anger.

"Wha...?" Naruto looked around before seeing Hinata on top of him. Sensing killing Intent, he looked over at Hiashi in fear. Like a deer caught in headlights.

"You again boy? Bah! Take this, for corrupting my daughter!" He ran at naruto, before punting him out the Hokage's window.

"It's Not What You Think!" He yelled as he flew through the sky.

"Now where was I?" Hiashi asked the sweatdropping Hokage.

**What do you think? Please review. The orphans are still depressed from lack of reviews. Thanks again to Echo Uchiha and Rose Tiger, for reviewing. I will try to answer any questions.**


	8. Chapter 8 I think

A/N: Hey guys! I am trying to update this as much as possible! But we had 3 people quit at work. I'm working full time and going to college... Plus the stress of being a English Major is catching up... So many essays... T_T On the bright side, I have the chance to write my Original Story for Creative Writing: Fiction. Don't count on any systematic updates. So, I got my mp3 player, lets get to work.

Chapter 8: I'm still kinda confused on what chapter I am writing...

Naruto awoke up from his Hiashi induced nightmare with a cold sweat. That man scared him, and if it wasn't for Hinata, he would have cut himself off from the Hyuga clan the moment he laid eyes on Hiashi. Shaking off his fear, Naruto jumped into the shower, before gathering his ninja gear. He stopped at his door to check to make sure he had everything. He did a quick survey of his room before leaving.

The glares of the villagers were ignored as he slowly walked through the town. He was well aware, he could Henge into someone else, but that would ruin the fun. It almost pleased him, how he could so easily ruin someones day. What unnerved him the most was the looks he got from the female population. _Is that Old Lady eyeing me? Nah._ He thought.

Naruto walked past the woman, nodding his head in greeting. As he passed the woman, he felt a sharp pain on his rear.

"Gah!," He jumped and yelled. Naruto looked around frantically. "WHO THE HELL GRABBED MY ASS?" The woman merely smiled at him kindly. Naruto turned away cautiously. This woman freaked him out.

He turned away once more, only to feel a hand grab his hind quarters. He turned suddenly and pointed at the woman. "Caught you!" He yelled victoriously. The old woman had a predatorial gleam in her eye before reverting back to a grandmotherly smile. She was the picture of elderly innocence.

Naruto laughed hesitantly as he turned. As soon as he faced the other direction, he sprinted as fast as he could. Naruto arrived at the front gates with time to spare. An hour, judging by Kakashi's habit of being late. He sat down on a bench and pulled out a balloon. He stared hard at the balloon, as ripples appeared. Naruto watched the ripples flow across the skin of the balloon, as they made odd patterns.

"Practicing the Rasengan?" A voice said from behind him.

"Gah!" Naruto cried out in surprise. The balloon exploded in a whirlwind of chakra. "What the hell, Sasuke?"

The dark haired boy smirked. "I couldn't resist." he said. Sasuke sat down beside Naruto. They both sat in silence. The wind picked up, brushing the leaves softly.

"Nervous?" Sasuke asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Nah... I'm fine." he replied. "I mean, whats the worst that can happen? Being attacked by an S ranked missing-nin?" they shared a quick laugh before becoming silent again. They sat in silence for a long period of time. The wind rustled the leaves again making Naruto's eye twitch. Suddenly, Naruto jumped to his feet.

"This is FREAKING awkward! When will everyone get here?" He yelled.

"What's awkward?" Tazuna asked as he walked up to the boys. Behind him was Hinata, whose face held a very light blush.

"Nothing at all. Why do you ask?" asked Naruto, feigning innocence.

"Then why d-did you yell?" asked Hinata.

"For no reason at all..." replied Naruto.

Hinata let it go. It was probably one of THOSE things. Men could be silly sometimes. The group didn't have to wait long before Kakashi had showed up. Only ten minutes late, for once.

"Sensei," Hinata grabbed his attention from his book as they walked away from the gates. "You aren't as late as u-usual."

Kakashi rubbed the back of his and blushed. "Well..." He began, "Hokage-sama informed me of his decision to "Punish" me if I continue to show up two hours late to everything..." Kakashi shuddered involuntarily at a certain memory.

FLASHBACK

"So Kakashi-kuuuuuun." Kakashi felt hot ragged breath on his ear. Something wet slipped inside making him cringe, "I might not be able to get Sasuke, but you will do fiiiiine. Kukukukukukuku."

Kakashi screamed before making as many handsigns as he could make. "RELEASE! RELEASE! RELEAAAAAAASE!" He yelled, flaring his chakra. "Make it stop!" He screamed.

Staring down at a comatose Kakashi, Kurenai Yuhi smiled victoriously. "That is for insulting Asuma's "Manhood." she turned and walked away.

FLASHBACK END

"Do I want to know?" asked a curious Sasuke. Kakashi blanched and looked at the boy.

"I can honestly say, if you ever find out, I will personally help you commit Seppuku." Kakshi stated.

Naruto chuckled at his sensei's look of horror. He was interested in this "punishment" that could scare his sensei. Naruto walked ahead of everyone not paying attention. Sudenly, his leg became damp.

"Damn it! I stepped in a puddle. Wait... It hasn't rained in two weeks." Naruto thought outloud.

"Shit!" exclaimed the puddle.

"Did that puddle just swear?" Asked Tazuna. Sasuke nodded his head in confirmation.

"It appears it has, Tazuna-san." said Sasuke.

"A-ano, Puddle-san. It's not polite to swear." admonished Hinata.

"Can someone tell me why the puddle is talking in the first place?" asked Naruto, attempting to wipe his pants dry. Kakshi looked up from his book.

"It's a complicated and failed Kiri assasination jutsu that allows the user to reform their matter into liquid. Naruto here discovered the flaw. If the water particles that make up the user become seperated, so does the users DNA. That's the reason the Kiri R&D department canceled its development... Cuz it sucks. I think there was a teenager who finished it." Kakashi answered.

"YOU KILLED GOZU!" A man with a dangling chain appeared from the puddle. He was ignored.

"So your saying Naruto took out one of them without even knowing?" asked a confused Sasuke.

"That is correct." replied Kakashi.

"WHY AREN'T YOU LISTENING? YOU KILLED GOZU!" The man yelled.

"Who are you again?" asked Naruto.

"I'M MEIZU, THE MAN ABOUT TO KILL YOU!" he yelled.

"You're kinda loud aren't you?" asked Naruto.

"YOU KILLED MY FREAKING TWIN!"

"Well that's no reason to bust a my eardrum. Honestly, were you raised by a banshee?" Asked Naruto.

"DAMN YOU TO HELL!"

"Wait a minute... You're Meizu? Of the Demon Brothers? The best team assassination team Kiri has ever had?" The man nodded despite his rage. He felt a little bit vindicated about being well known. "with 71 D-rank, 196 C-rank, 45 B-rank, and 1 A-rank missions." Meizu nodded his head. He was more well known than he thought. "I was just wondering something, Oh great Meizu-sama. Before I die, can you answer me this one question?" asked Naruto.

"Well I guess I can for a fan. But only because you will soon die."

"What do you want on your gravestone?" Asked a grinning Naruto. Meizu looked at Naruto with confusion.

"What do you mea-ACK!" Meizu fell forward with a kunai in his head.

"Took you long enough Sasuke! It's a good thing I was having fun!" Naruto yelled as Sasuke came from the shadows.

"Do all you ninja's use super odd tactics like that?" Asked a perplexed Tazuna.

"Nope. Just us." said Naruto. He walked on, Sasuke and Hinata following behind. Tazuna turned towards Kakashi.

"You have a super odd team, you know that?" he stated.

Kakshi peeked over his book to look the man in the eye. "Yup." He said.

A/N Hey guys. I'm a little busy with school thats why this is a short chapter. I will give you a longer one next time. Anyways, Some reveiwers made excellent points. First off, the plot. I think I am going to vaguely mirror Canon, but with my own twists. Since this is my first fic, I won't do too much AU. Second, Danzo. OOC yes. You may ormay not realize this, but I am writing a FANfiction. Someone can be Out of character. All right guys. Kuromaru-kun, out.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N Hey guys. It has come to my attention that I may have a few plot holes and errors in my story. If you find any, please tell me.

A/N 2 (Blatant advertising...) Also, here are my recommendations:

Echoes, by Kageseo. AU. A modification of the seal holding back the Kyuubi has surprising consequences. When each choice brings about a new world, what will happen when different possibilities collide? Multiple Naruto. Not NarutoxNaruko, rather brother/sister relationship.

Destiny Is a Hazy Thing, by Calanor. The Yondaime had a plan, Madara had another. They were not the only ones who wanted their own vision to come to pass, but the future is never certain. When all plans of gods and men fail Naruto is suddenly free to choose his own destiny. Slow development.

And of course my own stories! Check them out!

Randomly placed Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I only own my laptop. That is all. Everything else has been bought for me, or earned from money given to me from relatives. Seriously. I don't even own my clothes... How sad is that? T_T

Wait... I own a DeviantArt hoodie... Hey! I do own something!

Chapter 9.

Zabuza was impatient. _How long does it take to kill a defenseless man? _He leaned against a tree absentmindedly. _Did the Brothers screw up again? _

"Haku." he said. The named boy shunshined in front of him. Haku was... Odd. He looked like a girl, acted like a girl. But when it came to fighting, the boy was a complete woman. Yes, the boy had weaknesses like showing "Mercy" but he possessed a sadism greater than any other man Zabuza had met. Haku's long black hair blew in the wind as his Obsidian eyes stared into Zabuza's impassively. He was a feminine man, but _damn, _did the Ladies love him.

"Is it time, Zabuza-Sama?" Haku asked. His voice carried no emotion. Zabuza was proud of his work with his tool. Haku was Zabuza's tool, and would only be used by him.

"Yes, Haku. Let's go." Both Zabuza and Haku disappeared in a trail of spiraling mist. The mist rushed to fill the empty space the two men had stood. With the rush of wind gone, the woodland fell back to silence.

Naruto raked his fingers across the wooden frame of the small boat. After the small interruption provided by the Demon Brothers, they had proceeded to a small dock. A very irritable man was waiting for them in his boat. After a quick exchange between Tazuna and the man, Naruto had found himself in compact boat, seasick, and very bored. He looked at Kakashi, questioningly. Said man seemed to feel his gaze and returned it with his own. It seemed like an eternity passed before Kakashi blinked.

"HA! You blinked!" He shouted. Kakashi shook his head.

"It was your imagination. How could I, master of a thousand Jutsus and the Copy-nin Kakshi, lose to an inferior Genin like you?" Kakshi asked rather boldly. He returned to his book aftter Naruto backed down. Naruto looked the other way and huffed, grumbling about "Stupid Jounins" and "Stupid Titles".

"Will you Idiots SHUT UP!" the man in rowing the boat whispered loudly. His whisper carried farther than the louder conversation around him. Naruto raised his hand in a school-like manner.

"Umm... Not to insult you or anything, but why?" He asked. The man resisted the urge to throttle the blond boy before him.

"Do you want to be attacked by Bandits?" He asked in a hushed whisper. Naruto raised is hand again.

"You do realize we are in the middle of a lake right? I have yet to hear of Bandits swimming in a lake. Pirates, maybe, but in a lake? Your reasoning sucks... Plus, A ninja would have known we were here before we even started rowing. So what's the point of being quiet?" Naruto said before turning his challenging gaze on Sasuke, ignoring the boat man altogether. Kakashi merely nodded his head in agreement. As much as he would like to disagree, the man rowing the boat was extremely entertaining to annoy.

Naruto waved to the Man in the boat. The man just huffed over is shoulder, ignoring the blond. Sasuke smirked.

"You have that effect on people, dobe." he said. Naruto pouted.

"I thought we agreed you wouldn't call me that?" Naruto asked amidst anime tears.

"Nope. I never agreed." Sasuke said with a smirk.

Kakashi grabbed the two Genin by the collars and dragged them behind him. Hinata followed with Tazuna following behind. Both Naruto and Sasuke squirmed and kicked to get out of Kakashi's hold in vain. Naruto resigned to his fate, while Sasuke continued to squirm.

"You know... Don't you think I should lead... Because, you know... We're going to my house..." Tazuna said quietly. Kakashi stared at Tazuna for a moment before started walking again.

"I-err... Guess not." was all Tazuna could say.

"K-Kakashi-Sensei? A-Are w-we going in a r-random d-direction?" Hinata asked quietly. Kakashi turned toward her quickly. He dropped both boys on their backsides. Twin cries of pain when unnoticed.

"Do _you_ know where we are going?" Kakashi asked. The girl shook her head. Kakashi eye smiled.

"B-but I think T-Tazuna-san does..." she said quietly, pulling herself into the infinite pocket space in her Jacket.

"Meh, I was getting lost anyways." Kakashi allowed the Client to lead. Tazuna steered them in the opposite direction, before walking ahead of everyone.

xXxXxXxXx

"Haku?" A voice carried in the wind.

"Yes Zabuza-sama?" another voice answered.

"Wasn't the Target supposed to be here by now?" Zabuza asked.

"Yes Zabuza-sama." Haku answered.

"Were is he?" Zabuza wondered out loud.

"Could he be lost?" Haku answered Zabuza with another question.

"He lives in this area. There is no possible way." Zabuza was growing frustrated. After a moment of thought, he jumped out of the tree he was in. "Haku. We are going to go find the Target... Haku... HAKU!"

"Oh... ummm... Hold on... I'm.. ah... I'm busy!" Haku yelled through the tree's.

"What in Kami's name are you doing?" Zabuza yelled back.

"Nooooooooothing." Haku said. Zabuza sighed before putting his hand on his forehead in frustration.

"Whatever small animal you've found, we aren't keeping it. If you sneak another one, I will use it as a Kawarimi (Replacement) again."

"Not Mr. Fluffy!" the boy yelled through the foliage. Zabuza sighed._ That boy. This happens every freaking time. The boy finds some kind of small furry animal and I'm forced to deal with it. Maybe that's why they gave me the title "Demon of the Hidden Mist"... Because I use small animals in Kawarimi. Hmmm... That will take some thought._

In the forest, away from Zabuza. Haku pushed a small brown rabbit into his Kimono. The Rabbit fought the whole way before it finally relented.

"Good boy, Mr. Snuggles the Third. I will keep you safe from mean old Zabuza-sama."

xXxXxXxXx

Naruto fought to stay standing as he walked through Tazuna's house. It turned out, that Tazuna had no idea were they where, eaither and had led them straight into the middle of a Bandit camp. The bandit's had looked up in surprise, while the three Shinobi and Tazuna stared back with equal surprise. Kakashi chose that moment to "Test" their guard skills. After an accusation of abandoning them again. They fell back into their normal routine with Hinata on Naruto's right, and Sasuke on his left.

The trip was heavily awkward on Naruto and Hinata, because their hands kept touching the whole way. It wasn't like Naruto "Liked" her... well, Maybe he did. Hinata had been blushing all through dinner that night, and they had gone on a kind-of date. Naruto decided he was going to aske her out as soonas all this Gato crap was taken care of. Naruto was snapped from his reflecting by a small, irritating voice.

"You are going to die." Naruto turned toward the voice and saw the boy, Inari standing behind him.

"Ummm... What? Would you mind repeating that?" Naruto asked. Truthfully, the boy was mumbling, constantly. Naruto had advanced senses, and could hear him quite clearly. It was more an issue of pride. No body mumbles in front of the Hokage, so why should they mumble in front of him? He wanted his respect, and he would get it.

"You are going to die!" Inari yelled before turning to run. Naruto caught the boy on the shoulder easily. Inari turned, with tear filled eyes, and looked into Naruto's blue eyes.

"Look kid. I get you are scared, but you have to realize something. Things are going to change. The worst is pretty much over and I'm here to make sure it ends for good. It's what Heroes do. Got it kid?"

Inari stared back at Naruto before turning away, forcefully jaring his shoulder from Naruto's loose grip. "You are going to die. Just like the last hero." Inari walked away, leaving Naruto to his thoughts.

A/N

Yes, I am sorry for not updating, but that is behind me. I will start updating more, by the time my college starts again. I don't know why, but I am more excited to write when I'm at school... weird huh? Anyways, I have 4 stories going at once, and the next chapter I am updating is _**Kaze no Kitsune**_. Look for it soon.


	10. Chapter 10: Morning, Moping, and Traps

**Sorry for taking so long.. TT_TT I just couldn't write this. Thankfully, I've regained my inspiration for this chapter. It has a bit of a different writing style, so please tell me what you think. **

Naruto walked to his given room in silence. The tension had been so high that no one had spoken until Naruto excused himself from the table. He was quite confused. _How do you show a boy who has given up that you shouldn't give up?_ Naruto racked his brain for answers, but only came up with more questions. _Who was the last hero that Inari was talking about? Why was Inari giving up? Damn it all! This is hard. This is why I don't like emos. _

Naruto opened his door with a huff and collapsed on the bed. He was tired, confused, and really itching for a fight. He had been expecting to be attacked when they got here, but all was sound. _Weird…_ Naruto rolled over, pulling his pillow over his left ear. After a few minutes, he rolled to the other side. Another few minutes rolled by, and Naruto swore he heard a clock ticking, mocking him with its eternal laughter.

Light peeked in through the window. Naruto sighed and sat up. He rubbed his eyes, kicked off the covers, and walked to the door, tripping on a snoring Kakashi on the way. Naruto walked the hallway in a mortal daze, like a zombie looking for brains. He turned his bloodshot eyes slowly, his neck popping with the action, looking for food. His stomach grumbled, and poverty be damned, he would get his food.

Naruto walked into the kitchen with a piercing gaze. Most people assumed he was a morning person. Those people died quickly and slowly. He spied Inari sitting at a table, one hand perched below his chin, propping himself up as he stirred his cereal. Naruto stood there behind him, watching as the colorful cereal danced in a mesmerizing circle, intricate waves of blues, greens, purples, yellows, all mixing in a rainbow of colors.

Naruto shook himself out of his daze and sat down next to the melancholy boy and stared at him. His eye twitched as he stared into the boy's soul. Inari looked up at Naruto. He looked at his cereal, then Naruto. He took one more look at his cereal. He drew a sharp intake of breath.

"Mom! The stupid ninja is begging for food! But it's MY cereal!" Inari cried out. His mother just patted the top of the boys head, comfortingly.

"That Is just what ninja's do, Inari." She said absent mindedly ignoring the boy in favor of her house work. Naruto's eye twitched yet again. _This is what people think of ninja's? No wonder the boy thinks we're going to die!_

"Ano… Naruto-kun?" Naruto turned toward the stairs. Hinata stood there in all her morning glory. She still wore her clothes from the previous day and her hair was a mess. Hinata rubbed her eyes and sat down beside Naruto.

"Are… you ok, Hinata?" Naruto asked. Hinata gave him a look that promised pain. Severe pain. Naruto gulped and looked back down at his hands.

"I'm fine Naruto-kun. I'm fine." She stated emotionlessly. Naruto nodded his head, scared of this new morning Hinata. Tsunami walked over to the duo, whisking away at the thick liquid in the bowl she carried.

"How are you two, this morning?" she asked. Naruto cringed and scooted away from the irate Hinata. He learned quickly.

"I'm fine." she said, stoically taking a sip of tea.

"Where did you get tea? I want some-" Naruto was cut off.

"No." Hinata said. Naruto slumped forward.

_Rule 1. Don't ask about Hinata's tea. _

Naruto stood up from the table putting away any hope for breakfast. He popped his neck, andstarted toward the door.

"I'm just going to go train outside." He mumbled aloud. A collective groan was his answer.

XxXxX

Sasuke was rather happy. He didn't think that being away from Konoha could be so fun. Sasuke walked out of the room he shared with Naruto and Kakashi, stepping carefully over his sensei, he walked down the hallway, and down the stairs of the house and arrived in the kitchen. He sat happily next to Hinata, who ignored him in favor of her tea.

"So… how is everyone this fine morning?" he asked. He received a collective groan from the room, and a smile from tsunami. Inari merely sat at the table, swirling his cereal in his bowl, and Hinata sat drinking her tea without a word.

Sasuke's smile began to waver… _these people… aren't morning people…_ Sasuke edged away from everyone. He began to shake uncontrollably, as his hand tightened against the table.

"How can you not love a morning like this?" he shouted. Once again, his answer was a collective groan. Sasuke's eye twitched uncontrollably as he walked to the door, his good mood ruined.

"I'll be outside…" he said with a huff.

XxXxX

Naruto sat cross legged, holding a three pronged kunai in his grasp. He looked over it carefully. He knew little about seals, he would admit. But the seal on the kunai seemed to call to him. He turned it over and studied it. The seal itself was complicated. It was a long line of Kanji that seemed to trail along the hilt of the kunai. If you tried to read it, it loosely translated to "Lightning Rod" which confused Him. Why Lightning Rod? It was a space-time technique not an elemental technique. Naruto put the mysterious kunai, slightly confused. He stood up and shook the stray grass from his pants. _I don't feel like staring at this thing. _He thought.

Naruto pulled out a scroll from his weapon pouch, idly flipping it in his hand. The blonde shook it open before he took a bite into his thumb. He splashed some blood on the kanji for _seal_ and waited calmly. The seal glowed for a moment before it absorbed the blood. In a poof of smoke, his mother's pair of katana were laying on top of the scroll.

Naruto tied them to his back and slid them from their sheaths, careful of the sharp string between the two. He took a stance holding both swords, low near his hips with the points angled upwards. The points came together at the top and pointed to an imaginary opponent's face. He took a deep breath and tried to go through the stance he'd memorized. Of course, it looked silly. HE doubted any _REAL _swordsmen would be frightened by him, but he was a beginner. He knew this would have gone faster with shadow clones, but he cherished these swords. They were his mothers and he felt that was spitting on her image if he took a _shortcut_ to master his mother's swords.

Naruto slowly guided the swords through the air, trying to match the stances in his head. He guided his right handed blade forward, keeping his other blade across his body. Always keep one blade defending. Never cross your blades, neither in defense nor in offense. He made sure to memorize these rules. His mother's rules. Naruto was jarred from his thoughts as he heard a snap of twigs.

"Sasuke?" he called. No answer. Naruto went back to his sword training, careful to listen for any more snapping leaves. _Snap_. There. Naruto quickly put his swords away, slightly fumbling with them, before throwing a kunai at the sound.

"Who's there?" he asked. Again, there was no reply. Naruto began to form a small grin.

"So you're scared of little old me, ne? I guess you're a little sissy, hiding out there in the woods." He taunted. He could hear a shuffle of movement behind a tree. In a flurry of movement, he was holding a kunai to the trespassers neck.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice was slightly gravely. He hated people to catch him brooding of all things, and the misty weather was not helping. He studied the intruder carefully. The person with the kunai to their neck had long black hair loosely hanging limp in the windless morning. They wore a pink sleeveless, low-cut kimono, with pale red edges. The kimono had purplish swirls covering it. Around their waist was a simple white obi tied in a bow. Naruto had the kunai pressed to the woman's neck, almost slicing into a leather chocker. Naruto let the kunai lower from her neck. He repeated himself, sounding less angry.

"Who are you?"

The girl visibly flinched before answering.

"My name is Haku." She said. Naruto sighed and put away the kunai.

"You should answer when someone asks 'who's there?', you know?" he said. Naruto went back to his clearing, half-way ignoring the pretty girl. _She's not as pretty as Hinata._ He thought. He intstantly blushed at the thought. He pushed that thought away. _ Not now, maybe later._

XxXxX

Haku sat watching the blonde shinobi go through his kata. He was impressed that the red clad shinobi was taking it slow. Haku had, at one point, taken an interest in swords like Zabuza-sama used. Zabuza-sama has tried to teach him, but he had failed. He lacked the patience, Zabuza-sama had told him.

Haku watched the blonde shinobi. The blonde was obviously suspicious of him, as he should be. Haku admired how the blonde kept his duty as a shinobi seriously.

XxXxX

Sasuke leapt through the woods, feeling sorry for his growling stomach. Why was everyone so mean today? He rushed toward where he assumed Naruto was training, hoping to have one of those not-so-obvious male bonding moments to cheer him up. Sasuke landed gracefully in the clearing and instantly saw the woman in the clearing. Ignoring Naruto, he went and sat by the girl.

"Why hello there." He said, extending his hand to the girl. She shook it, daintily smiling at his approach. Good. His plan would go well. He resisted the urge to rub his hands together in an evil way. "I'm Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke." He finished proudly.

"My name is Haku. Just Haku." she said. Sasuke leaned against the tree behind him.

"So what are you doing here? NAruto over there rarely lets anyone witness his _brooding_ moments." he said. Naruto almost tripped in the middle of his swing. He turned to Sasuke.

"I am not brooding. This just requires my utmost concentration." Naruto rebuttaled . Sasuke ignored his blonde friend.

"Anyways, I was wondering if you've had breakfast. I haven't and I doubt Blondie over there has." Sasuke asked, waving his hand towards Naruto dismissively.

"No," she said, to sasuke's pleasure. "I haven't. why do you ask?"

"Well," he began, "I was wondering if you wanted to go find a local place to eat and bring blondie over there."

Naruto stuck out his tongue at Sasuke. Sasuke did the same. The girl looked like she was about to laugh.

"Ok." She said brightly.

XxXxX

Haku was loving this. He didn't know how many times some oblivious man had asked him out, but free food was always something to say yes to. Now if only the place they ate at didn't discover he had a pet… or 5…

**Fav and review!**

**Kuromaru-kun**


	11. Chapter 11: Troll is a Troll

Orochimaru silently watched the small form, obscured by the glass and liquid surrounding it, with a bemused smile. Soon, his plans would come to fruition. Soon, Sarutobi would know true fear. Soon, everything he'd ever wanted would be his. He chuckled at the sheer genious of his plan.

"Kabuto." he said, gaining the attention of the young medic nearby. The grey headed boy glanced up from his work. "How are his vitals?"

"They're steady, Orochimaru-sama. This particular subject shows remarkable improvement over the previous attempts."

Orochimaru's smile grew to a malicous grin as he approached the glass, touching it fondly. "Soon, young one... Soon, you will be my ultimate weapon."

"Soon, everyone shall fear the name..." Orochimaru said, pausing as he gazed at the abomination with a rare, loving expression.

"Tora the cat!"

Ehhh… No. Actually, this fic is on permanent hiatus. I just wanted to make it official. If in the future I decide to rewrite this fic, I'll let you know. I hope this fic did not permanently scar your capacity to function as a normal human being.

Anyways…. Bye!

**-Koyan the Wanderer**

Formerly known as Kuromaru-kun


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